The Chieftains
will bring their music to the United States once again, with the 2020 “The Irish Goodbye” tour, coming to the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
The Chieftains are presented by UAB’s Alys Stephens Performing Arts Center. The concert is set for 7 p.m.
The six-time Grammy Award winners have been highly recognized for reinventing traditional Irish music on a contemporary and international scale. Their ability to transcend musical boundaries to blend tradition with modern music has seen them notably hailed as one of the most renowned and revered musical groups to this day, according to the band’s bio. After 57 years of making beautiful music for the world, The Chieftains remain as fresh and relevant as when they first began. Come see them perform a memorable evening of music, song and dance on this final journey. The performance is sponsored by Jemison Investment Co.
Tickets are $55, $65 and $75, with $10 student tickets. For tickets, call the ASC Box Office at 205-975-2787 or visit AlysStephens.org. UAB Visual and Performing Arts members may receive $10 off two single tickets. UAB faculty and staff may receive $15 off two single tickets. A limited number of student, member, and faculty/staff tickets are available. Enjoy traditional Celtic cultural traditions during the pre-show, Inside the Arts talk beginning at 6 p.m.
The Chieftains were formed in Ireland in 1962 by Paddy Moloney, the top traditional folk musician in Ireland and around the world.
“It’ll be fantastic to return once again to America, where we are always welcomed with open arms,” Moloney said. “We’ll share a lively evening of music, stories, laughter and great craic! In each city, we will perform with local pipe and drum bands, Irish dance schools, choirs, and special guests — the whole shebang! It’s always fun to showcase local talent to their hometown crowds.
“Our U.S. fans continue to give us the warmest of welcomes, so it’s going to be a huge pleasure to play once again for all our friends.”
As they are cultural ambassadors, their performances have been linked with seminal historic events, such as being the first Western musicians to perform on the Great Wall of China, participating in Roger Water’s “The Wall” performance in Berlin in 1990 and being the first ensemble to perform a concert in the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. In 2010, their experimental collaborations extended to out of this world, when Moloney’s whistle and Matt Molloy’s flute traveled with NASA astronaut Cady Coleman to the international space station.